Now that Apple has revealed their staggering financial success last the way is now clear for the next wave of highly anticipated Apple products to finally reach consumers.
The first will be July 25th Wednesday’s release of Mountain Lion, the latest incarnation of Apple’s OSX operating system. The rumors were all but confirmed when multiple sources cited Apple store employees being tagged for all-night shifts the previous Tuesday night in preparation; Apple had previously announced that Mountain Lion would be released in July. The next incarnation of OSX will bring tighter integration with iOS and a slew of new features. Customers that have recently purchased a new Mac will be able to download the new operating system free, others will be able to obtain it for just $20. Like the previous OSX edition Lion, the Mac App Store will be the only retail source; unlike Lion there will be no hard copy available. Those that wish to have a DVD or USB to install the OS will have to make their own; Apple had offered a USB stick with Lion for customers that requested it (although it was at a higher price than the download).
MobileFun.co.UK has confirmed the upcoming iPhone 5′s form via a slew of new cases they have seen from Chinese manufacturers. The iPhone 5′s new physical features have been discussed for a couple weeks now at various sites; the cases shown by MobileFun support the new 4″ screen, relocated headphone jack, and new smaller sync cable port (said to be a 19-pin input instead of the current 32 pin one). Anticipation of the new handset has picked up with industry indications that the device has already started production for the rumored September or October release. Some Chinese resellers have even begun taking preorders for the handset.
Accompanying the new iPhone is the long-rumored iPad Mini. The smaller version of Apple’s industry-standard tablet has been bandied about for over a year, and now with the mild success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color, and Google’s own Nexus 7 the time is apparently right for Apple to enter the niche with a smaller, less expensive iPad. No firm information other than the screen size is available, but pundits have surmised that the device will likely rely on Apple’s A5 system-on-a-chip used in the iPhone 4. Like the iPhone 5, there are industry clues pointing to the device already being in production for a September or October release.
Further in the future are more Retina display Macs. The iMac, 13 inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have all been thought to be receiving a Retina version, but release dates aren’t uniformly known.
With the upcoming release of Windows 8 and Microsoft’s first foray into hardware Apple is likely looking to redirect public attention back to their supremely successful product line with timely offerings. In the past they’ve been masterful with their marketing, considering the quantity and quality of their upcoming lineup I’d wager that their unrivaled sales and profits will likely continue.
